Don't Knock It Till Ya Try It
by JaliceObsessed
Summary: During the time of the Civil War, a young Alice Brandon meets the mysterious Jasper Whitlock, the boy her parents always warned her about. What happened when they cross paths?


**Alice  
**

Walkin' down the street on my way home from the schoolhouse, I decided to stop by the field of wild flowers on the side of the road. I picked up a lovely daisy, lifting it up to my nose. It smelled devine.

"Beautiful, aren't they?" an almost deep, accented voice asked. I yelped, falling over and landing on my butt. I looked up to see a tall, lean figure smiling deviously and leaning against a pole with his arms crossed over his chest. I got up slowly,

"Who are _you_?" I asked, eyeing him carefully.

"Jasper. Jasper Whitlock, to be exact", I knew that name.

"Well, Mr. Whitlock, if you don't mind, I was just about to leave", I pushed past him, picking up my book bag. He snickered.

"Well, it looks like you just as well killed this little flower", he acknowledged. I turned around to see him holding up the little daisy I had picked up just moments before, completely flattened.

"Yes, no thanks to _you_", I pointed out, turning around and continuing to walk down the road. Again, he interupted me, running up beside me.

"Well, aren't you going to _at least_ be polite and say goodbye _properly_?" he questioned. 

"I don't think you deserve that", I countered, continuing on my way without even a glance.

"Wait up!" he continued to follow me.

"What do you _want_?" I yelled angrily. He backed up a few steps, staring at me surprisingly. 

"Woah, calm down. I just wanted to talk", he admitted sheepishly. I unclenched my fists, dropped my bag, and took a few breaths. Once he saw that I was semi-relaxed, he came forward again, slowly but surely. Still cautious, he remained a few feet away. 

"So, since I told you _my_ name... What's yours?" he asked.

"Mary-Alice. But I prefer Alice, so don't you _dare_ call me by my real name" 

"Yes, ma'am", he joked with a slight laugh, "And how old are you?" he continued with the questions,

"16"

"Where do you live?"

"Excuse me?"

"I mean, in town or somewhere else?"

"In town"

"Oh..." I rolled my eyes, t'sking once he realized that I _obviously_ lived in town. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been going to the schoolhouse I was in only minutes before we met.

"Well, it was the first thing that came to my mind", he tried as an excuse.

"Mhm", I hadn't even realized we had begun walking again. Then I stopped walking. He followed me example,

"Now it's my turn to ask the questions", I decided.

"Shoot", he challenged.

"How old are _you_?" we continued walking,

"18", I raised an eyebrow, stopping short, then continuing,

"What? Is that too old for you?"

"No. Besides, who ever said it mattered if it was too old for _me_ in the first place? Or that any age mattered at all?" I emphasized, letting him know that nothing was ever going to happen between us. Not that it was ever even a possibility. This boy was no good, and I knew that.

"Oh, I see. So your parents probably told you about guys like me, right?" he questioned. 

"It... may have come up in conversation, yes", I admitted, trying to beat around the bush. He stifled a laugh. We continued to walk in silence until he walked in front of me, causing me to stop walking and take a step or two back. It was un-ladylike to stand so close to someone you weren't wed or commited to.

"Meet me here. Tomorrow", he prompted.

"Why should I?"

"Because I know you want to"

"How do _you_ know what I want?"

"Just be here", he demanded. Not in a mean way, but in a way that almost sounded pleading. As if he _wanted_ me to be there. 

"Fine. I will", I began walking again when he laughed. I stopped, "What?"

"Wait a minute", he ran up beside me, "You've been a goody two-shoes your whole life"

"Well, I wouldn't-" he stopped me short, 

"So you're looking for a little fun, excitement. Maybe get into a little trouble, even"

"Well, I-"

"_That's_ why you wanted to meet up with me"

"Now you're just insinuating things"

"Oh, I don't think so. I think you just want to break free of your little "cycle". Because you _know_ that's what I'm all about, so now you want to 'tag along' with me. To see what it's like. To-" this time, I cut _him_ short,

"Alright, so you've caught me. So what? I'm entitled to a little fun every now and then"

"Now, _that's_ what I like to hear. See you tomorrow- Mary", he contradicted me before running off the opposite way. I stopped for a while- thinking- then continuing on towards home. My parents were probably worried.


End file.
